Particle.news
Download on the App Store

House GOP Drops AI Preemption From Defense Bill as White House Pauses Aggressive Order

Broad bipartisan resistance makes sweeping federal preemption unlikely this session.

Overview

  • House Republicans failed to attach a ban on state AI rules to the NDAA, with Majority Leader Steve Scalise saying leadership will seek another vehicle.
  • A leaked draft order that would have created a DOJ state-law task force and threatened broadband funds was withheld after pushback from Republicans.
  • President Trump continues to press for a single national standard, but intraparty critics including Marjorie Taylor Greene, Thomas Massie, and Chip Roy call the approach federal overreach.
  • Senate resistance from Marsha Blackburn and Josh Hawley, plus the 60-vote hurdle, suggests a standalone preemption bill has little path forward.
  • Industry-aligned groups warn of a costly patchwork as states advance dozens of laws—NCSL counted about 100 measures in 38 states and analysts cite roughly 1,200 proposals—while figures like Sen. Cynthia Lummis favor a federal floor that lets states go further.